An Unexpected Guest
by turts
Summary: The Kraang have begun to terraform the earth, and the gang is escaping to April's family's farmhouse. But when they arrive they find someone's already inhabiting the inside. Will they get along, or will this spell more trouble for them? OC, but no intended romance, and not necessarily OC-centric.
1. Chapter 1

The trip to the farmhouse was silent but urgent as everyone wondered what would happen next. Leo still lay in the back, unconscious and surrounded by his distraught brothers as April and Casey were lost in the blurs that passed them while their van continued down vacant roads.

The only occasional sounds were from April as she directed the teen to her family's farmhouse. It took at least an hour until Casey finally turned into a dirt road with a roof of branches from the surrounding trees. April leaned forward with confusion when they noticed a car already parked in the driveway.

"Who's that?" Casey asked, slowing as they approached the large house.

"I don't know," she replied. "I don't recognize the car."

When he stopped the van, she opened the door and instructed the guys to remain where they were. Casey got out with her, in case whoever was inside turned out to be dangerous.

The front door opened with a slight creak, and the first thing they noticed with the setting sun was that there weren't any lights on. The shadows were long and dull as the direct sunlight was hidden by the trees that surrounded them.

"Hello…?" April asked, glancing around. Casey closed the door slowly, leaving a small crack. There was a faint sound of cautious steps from upstairs and April reached behind her back to pull out her tessen.

"Who's there?" the intruder asked, hiding behind the wall beside the stairs.

"Uh, the owner of this house, that's who," April replied, figuring it wasn't a complete lie… for the most part. "Who are _you_?"

"Oh, oh no," the voice replied, and a girl who couldn't have been much older than herself and Casey emerged cautiously from behind the wall. "I'm so sorry," she apologized before starting slowly down the steps. "I thought this place was abandoned."

"It does kinda look that way, huh?" Casey noted, taking a look around before April hit his arm.

"But…" she started, stopping halfway down and pointing to the redhead. "Are you even _old_ enough to own a house?"

"It's my family's," April replied curtly. "And we need you to leave—now."

The other girl crossed her arms with a skeptical look. "Yeah, right. Where's your family then huh? I bet you came here from the city didn't ya? Go find your own abandoned house to hide in, this one's taken."

April rolled her eyes and scowled at the girl. The guys were still in the back of the van, and she didn't want to waste time and take a chance on Leo's condition. "Look, we don't have time for this alright? You need to leave, now." The only thing that was on her mind was making the house safe for the guys to take shelter in, and she would do so even if it meant chasing the mystery girl out.

The girl laughed when April got into a defensive stance, her tessen held out in front of her. "What are you gonna do? _Fan_ me to death? Nice try, little girl, but-"

She was cut off when a breeze blew past her and she witnessed some strands of her long, curly black hair fall to the steps in front of her. She looked up in time to watch April catch her fan again, and in a split second she had taken off up the stairs and into a bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

"We don't have time for this," April groaned. She started to head up the stairs, but Casey grabbed her arm.

"You're right, we don't have time. I'll make sure she doesn't try to sneak out while you bring in the guys. We can settle things once Leo's in."

With that, Casey started up the stairs and tried opening a few of the doors in the hallway. Only one was locked, and he chose to guard it and make sure the girl didn't see anything. The guys crept upstairs, each glancing to Casey, who assured them with a thumbs-up that they were good to go. The mutant turtles made their way into the bathroom, solemnly carrying their unconscious brother while April hurried to help them.

Out of curiosity, Casey placed an ear to the door he was guarding, and heard very little sound. After only a moment, the sound of the door handle being jiggled reached his ears and he turned to see the brown-skinned girl looking at him through a crack. Once their eyes met, she closed the door again and he heard it lock. He raised a brow and shook his head before turning back around and glancing to the bathroom where mumbling could be heard.

April was the first to come out of the bathroom, but once she looked at Casey things seemed to happen all at once.

The door flew open with a short creak, and a crack was heard just before Casey hit the ground. "Pull out that fan thing and you're next." The girl was standing in front of April with a bat in her hands, which stopped the redhead from reaching for her fan again.

"I want you to take your friend and leave," the girl said, gripping the bat tight.

April's hands were up and she took a cautious step back while thinking. She could feel her heart rate increasing and she tried to keep her breathing calm, but found it difficult to think of any solutions. The other girl continued to stare her down, a tight grip on her bat as she breathed stressed breaths.

This pause lasted for only a minute before things sped up once again. She raised her bat and started to take a step forward, but with a loud 'BONK,' her bat fell with a large staff and a pained moan was heard shortly after.

She sat on her knees with her quickly swelling wrist in her hand, before she noticed another figure had showed up beside the redhead. She looked up and tried to process what was before her and continued to stare as it picked up the long staff.

Donatello, misreading her shock as fear, tried to scare her off by demanding she leave. She failed to respond to his threatening demeanor and simply furrowed her eyebrows while asking "Who _are_ you… people?"

"Well, that's different," another voice commented as he peered out of the bathroom. "You're supposed to pass out or scream or something."

"Can it, Mikey," the purple clad turtle before her retorted. She bravely began to stand, though she still grasped her bruised wrist close to her body.

"No, really, _who are you_?" she asked again.

April glanced at Don before taking a step forward and turning the attention onto her. "It's a long story."

Before she could say anything more, the girl cocked her hip and gave the redhead a look saying she was not to be written off so easily. "Well it's a story worth tellin', I think."

"We don't have time for you or your questions," Don chided. "This isn't your house and you need to leave." He saw she was trying to reply and he squeezed his bo so the blade popped out. "I don't want to use force, but I will."

April wasn't sure Don was going about this in the right way, but she understood that he must have been stressed, and he was resorting to the same kind of 'persuasion' she attempted to use earlier in desperation. She glanced back at the bathroom and saw that Mikey was still peering out to see what was going on, while Raph was probably staying close to Leo. The entire situation was a huge mess.

"Woah," the dark-haired girl started, lifting her hands as she took a step back. The outside of her left wrist was clearly swollen and in need of some kind of treatment, but it didn't appear to bother her so much when she was staring at a giant turtle with a sharp stick who wanted her out of the picture. "Chill out man, I was here first and you guys just came barging in like you own the place or somethin'!"

"My family _does_ own this place," April chimed in.

"Like I had any way of knowing!" Her voice was rising in volume, and it was clear, to April especially, that she felt endangered. "I was just tryin to escape the city like you guys. It's all dark out now are you really gonna kick me out and make me find somewhere else to stay?"

"Ye-" Don started, but April cut him off by pushing him back some.

"No. Not tonight," she replied. She let out a sigh as she realized she would have to compromise with this stranger, and then continued. "But that bathroom is off-limits, and it'd probably be a good idea to stay in your room for the majority of the night. …I can't promise you these guys'll be so nice to you," she improvised. She knew that the guys probably wouldn't hurt her any more than she already was, but with the levels of stress everyone was faced with she really couldn't promise anything at that point.

"Yeah, right, whatever you say," she said as she backed up one more step. She glanced back at the guy on the floor, who seemed to be coming to. "…Sorry about your friend."

April gestured for Don to go back into the bathroom as she moved toward the girl. "He's had worse I'm sure. Let's get some ice for your wrist," she instructed with a voice more calm now that things seemed to be settled. April picked up the bat as she led the way down the stairs, and more groaning from Casey could be heard as he finally regained consciousness.

"So what's your name?" April asked once they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Marisol," she replied flatly. "But people mostly call me Mari."

"I'm April," the redhead replied with a small smile, hoping for things to work out all right for them. The last thing they needed was to have more issues on top of the ones they already faced. She hadn't even had time to herself since everything happened and it looked like she might have to wait another night for the opportunity.

* * *

Let me know if there was something you liked or didn't like! I may keep going but I may not depending on a variety of things. I really just wanted to get this down.


	2. Chapter 2

The farmhouse was completely dark aside from the light in the kitchen and the light from the bathroom that illuminated the upstairs. April, Casey, and Marisol sat around an old table, the latter two holding ice to their swollen limbs.

"I still can't believe what's going down in the city," Marisol started after a brief period of silence. "But you guys saw it too right? I'm not crazy?"

"Yeah, we saw it," April assured her.

"I just hope it stays in the city," Casey chimed in. "I mean there were some guys with guns that looked like they were trying to take 'em down but I don't know what they can do."

April nodded in reply as Marisol looked at him curiously. "How long were you guys in the city for? I left as soon as shit started hitting the fan."

"I guess that explains why you were here before us," April replied. "We uh… had to take care of some things before we left."

"Like… your friends from before?" she questioned, glancing towards the stairs.

April and Casey exchanged glances before she nodded again. "Yeah, something like that."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me much about them huh?"

"Probably not."

Another silence fell between them, and they were each lost in their own thoughts until their unexpected guest broke the silence again. "What _can_ you tell me?" she asked, looking at April and speaking softly. "I mean, you can't expect me not to wonder after what I just saw."

April sighed as she sunk down into the chair she was sitting in. The redhead wasn't in the mood to discuss her mutant friends, or really talk about anything. She wasn't even certain the guys would be alright with her sharing any of that information, but Marisol probably deserved some form of explanation.

"Well, like I said, it's a long story. But basically they're mutant turtles. And they're good friends. That's really all I feel like saying right now."

"Mutants? Did they come from the stuff those aliens were spreading around?" she asked eagerly.

"Kind of," April replied shortly.

"That's… actually a little cool I guess, when you think about it." She paused, thinking. "They aren't like, gonna kill me or somethin' right?"

"Not unless you tick 'em off enough," Casey replied with a small smirk. He was resting his elbow on the table as he held a bag of ice to his head. Marisol slowly nodded in response, wondering what the mutant turtles' limits were.

April stood after a moment and let out a soft sigh. "Well I'm gonna head to bed. I'm beat. You guys should do the same."

Casey perked up some as he watched her start to leave the dining room. "Oh yeah, where am I gonna sleep?"

She shrugged, looking back as she replied. "Whichever room's free I guess. Or the couch." Her leave was followed by the soft creaking of the stairs and the upper floor as she stopped by the bathroom to check on the guys before turning in to her old bedroom.

After a moment Mari looked at Casey and put down her ice. "I guess I should head to bed too. It was nice meeting you Casey, sorry about the bat thing."

"Yeah…" he started, taking the ice off his head for a moment to feel the bruised bump that had formed. "No hard feelings."

They exchanged awkward smiles before she made the trip back to the room she had inhabited. She wondered just how long she would be welcomed in the morning before they forced her to leave, and if she would be given some kind of wake up call. Either way, she couldn't deny that this was the strangest thing that had happened to her.

* * *

Reviews are always welcomed! Let me know how I can make this better!


	3. Chapter 3

Well, you guys wanted a longer chapter so have this almost-6-pager. It may linger on with the dialogue, but I was hoping to have more character interaction. Please let me know what you think!

* * *

Mari woke up to the faint smell of something burning, which overpowered the even fainter smell of bacon. The sun was barely rising and as she lifted her head, her curly hair obstructed the view outside her window. She brushed her hair out of the way and pushed herself off the bed to glance around the room, going over yesterday's events before deciding to get dressed and packed.

Downstairs, April was trying to help fix the mess Raph, Don, and Casey had created when trying to make everyone breakfast. The toast was a very dark brown and the bacon in the pan was beginning to burn on the edges. April got Mikey to run cold water over a new burn on his hand while Casey and Don started to fight over who knew how to make the better pancakes.

"Oh, get out of the way," April ordered, shoving past them as she began to make the batter herself. "None of you are allowed in the kitchen after this."

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault Don can't make a pancake to save his life!"

Don clenched his fists in annoyance and was ready to retort before Marisol showed up in the doorway. Mikey, who was still running his hand under cold water, was the first to greet her.

"Should I have stayed in bed, or do you guys need some help?" she asked cautiously. There was a silence where the only sound was the bacon frying and the water running in the sink.

"You could get these two out of the kitchen before they burn anything else," April grumbled as she turned off the stove so the bacon wouldn't burn anymore. Marisol awkwardly looked at the two, still a little too tired to understand what exactly she was supposed to do.

"Are you making pancakes?" she asked as she moved towards April.

"Well _someone_ had to," she replied, her tone giving away that she was still annoyed. Marisol glanced to the guys behind them as they glared at one another and tried her best to assess the situation.

"Uh, why don't we give April some room to work guys?" she offered, hoping to get them out of the kitchen. Thankfully, she succeeded and they wound up in the living room while Mikey stayed behind to help April finish breakfast.

Casey and Don sat on opposite sides of the couch with their arms crossed and pouted. A fitting question entered her mind, but she figured she should save it for later—if she was even able to stick around long enough to ask. However, she did want to say something to break the awkward silence and tension that filled the air.

"So, I packed up all my stuff, but I'm not sure when you guys wanted me out of your hair…"

Casey looked at her curiously before replying. "Wait, you're actually leaving?"

"I thought I was supposed to," she said with a confused expression. "Wasn't I?" She looked towards Don, who seemed to only be half-interested in the conversation.

"Well, yeah, but I figured you would'a put up some kind of fight. I mean you _were_ here first," Casey continued.

Don finally spoke up then, and his tone also showed he was still annoyed at the boy. "Don't give her any ideas Jones. She still has to leave."

"But not until after breakfast, at least!" Mikey entered the room with two plates filled with bacon and toast and a cheerful smile on his face. "The pancakes are almost all done and April's cooled off now. As long as you guys don't start fighting over who gets to set the table," he half-joked.

"I'll set the table," Mari offered, not wanting the two to start arguing again. She also took the opportunity to talk to April as she gathered the silverware.

"Sorry about that," April said when she noticed Mari enter the room. "Those two can't be in a room together for five minutes before they start fighting. Over the most ridiculous stuff too!"

"It's fine, really," Mari assured her with a small smile. "I was wondering when you wanted me to leave, though," she continued as she hunted for the silverware drawer. "I'd like to stay a little longer but it's not my house… And even if it isn't yours, I'm outnumbered by three so," she continued with a shrug.

"I'm not sure either to be honest," April replied with a shrug as she placed the last of the pancakes on a plate. "But you're welcome to stay for breakfast."

The redhead gave her a smile before moving to set the plate of pancakes on the table, where Mikey had already set down the toast and bacon. Mari returned the smile just as she found the silverware drawer. Upon opening it, she realized the house must have been uninhabited for many years and decided to wash the few forks and spoons still scattered about.

"Is Raph coming down?" April asked once they were all sitting. Don glanced at Mari before letting out a soft sigh of resignation, realizing there wasn't much of a point to keep their other two brothers a secret.

"No. When I went up to tell him breakfast was ready he hardly even replied. I don't think he got much sleep last night."

"I'll go take a plate up to him, then," April said softly as she stood and walked back upstairs with a plate of food.

Mari glanced around at all of them, a question lingering in her mind and her food cooling on her plate as she got up the courage to ask it. "Is Raph a mutant turtle too?"

Mikey and Casey looked towards Don, unsure of how much they should share. Don still seemed a little irritated, but had calmed down a little. "Yes. We're brothers. And we expect that you'll keep all of this to yourself when you leave," he continued as he looked at her. After all, the last thing they needed was more people on their case.

"Where are you gonna go anyway?" Mikey asked curiously.

Mari shrugged, poking at her pancakes with her fork. "I don't know… Not back to the city that's for sure."

"Well, good luck finding some place," Casey offered. "Did you have family in the city?"

"No, thankfully. My parents are in Venezuela right now visiting my Uncle. They're supposed to get back next week though, but I'm not sure what they're planning on doing. I busted my phone on my way up here so I don't exactly have any way of contacting them."

"Venezuela?" Mikey asked, glancing to his brother before looking back at her curiously.

"Yeah," she replied with a small smile. "It's a country in South America. But I was left alone for a few weeks and now there really isn't a home… I don't even know if they know about it."

"Well if you know the number you could use my phone," Casey offered, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

April came back then, glancing at the exchange as she took her seat. "That would actually be really awesome, thanks," Mari replied as she took his phone.

"What's going on?" April asked as Mari stood and left the room to try and call her parents.

"Her phone's busted so she's gonna use mine to call her parents," Casey explained before shoving half a pancake in his mouth.

"Oh, well that's nice of you. Where are her parents?"

As Casey explained what Mari had just told them, Don glanced almost suspiciously into the other room to make sure she was doing what she said she was. Something about her seemed off to him, and he wasn't sure if it was logical, or if it was just because she was a stranger.

He was brought back into the conversation when April spoke to him. "Does she have to leave today, Donnie? It doesn't sound like she's got many options right now and I think we can trust her."

"And what if we need to get supplies or something? We don't have a lot of food," Casey added. "And no offense, April, but I don't think that old van can handle anymore long drives. Her car looks like it's in pretty good shape. Plus I'm guessing she actually has a license."

"I don't know," he started. "Something about her doesn't sit right with me…"

They could make out her mumbled talking as she got through to someone on the phone, and it sounded like she was explaining what was happening in the city.

"Does anyone else find it weird that she doesn't have an accent or is that just me?" Mikey asked curiously, glancing at the others.

Don ignored his question and continued his train of thought. "I guess we don't have to kick her out right away, but… Maybe you should go with her to get some more food," he suggested, looking at Casey.

"Why do I have to go with her?"

"Well if I go, you and Don are probably just gonna tear the house apart," April chimed in.

"Then it's settled, Casey's going with her to get food," Don finalized, sounding happier than he had all morning, and finished his breakfast.

Mikey, who had eaten just about everything on his plate, looked towards Casey. "Make sure you get some pizzas with _all_ the toppings."

"We're probably going to need a lot of things," April started, "Though I'm not sure how exactly we're gonna pay for all of that."

"Don't worry about that, I've got it," Casey replied with a smug and self-assured smirk. "Just tell me what you need."

After breakfast, April and Casey began working on a list of food and other supplies for them to grab as Mari finished her phone call. When they were all done, she was informed of her new task and told that she would be welcome to stay as long as she needed when they were done.

"That seems fair," she replied, looking over the list they were given. "My parents want to get me to Venezuela with them as soon as they can, but I'm not sure where my passport is or how long it'll be to get me a new one," she explained. "So staying here would be great until I can get that sorted out."

"You didn't tell them about us did you?" Don asked, overhearing the conversation from upstairs.

"Of course not," she replied. "They would've panicked more than they did when they heard about what was happening in the city."

"Alright, well you guys should get going. Hopefully the invasion just stayed in the city."

"Here's hoping," Mari replied with a half-smile before she and Casey left to find a store.


	4. Chapter 4

Not sure how to feel about this chapter, I suppose it's more of a transition? I'll be taking a break from writing for a little because I have some major school assignments coming up soon. I also feel this wasn't my best chapter, so I want the next one to be better. Please bear with me, but do also leave reviews. :)

* * *

"So how's your head?" Mari asked as she started her car. The sky was looking overcast and though the ground wasn't completely covered with snow yet, it was still cold enough that her older car needed to warm up for a minute before she got started.

"Well I woke up with a pretty bad headache, but it's not too bad now. Your wrist looks pretty messed up though," he pointed out as he sat back.

She shrugged and looked at the purple bruise that was covering most of the side of her wrist and hand. "It looks worse than it is but it's not like it doesn't hurt."

Silence fell between them until she put her car into drive, thinking it had enough time to warm up. "So are you from New York?" he asked, making conversation.

"Yup, born and raised. What about you?"

"Same here."

The two continued to make small conversation as she drove along the empty roads lightly coated with snow that had yet to melt. They were surrounded by trees and practically nothing more as she drove, cementing the feeling that they were isolated from almost all of the rest of the world.

* * *

Back at the farmhouse, April was sitting against the arm of the couch with a journal in her lap, staring at the blank pages while thinking about all the things that had suddenly changed once again. She felt almost numb to everything at that point, unsure of how to react to losing her best friend, her dad (again), and her home she had come to know for so many years. Now, she was back where she and her family began, and despite the present company she felt very alone.

The house around her was solemnly quiet as Raph kept watch over Leo, and Don and Mikey went to look around the barn. Part of her wished she had gone with Casey and Mari just to see what it was like outside the farmhouse, but she was also glad she stayed in. After a moment she decided to search the cabinets for hot chocolate or tea, but found nothing. With a soft sigh she returned to the living room and searched for some old movie she could watch while she tried to figure out how she felt about everything—or, at least how to express how she felt.

* * *

Music sounded fairly loud from Mari's speakers, subconsciously urging her to drive faster than she usually would. Casey was rocking out in his seat and she couldn't help but wonder if it was his way of dealing with what happened in the city, or if it was just a habit he had anytime he was in a car. If it was the latter, she feared for the day when he earned his license.

"I still can't believe what's happened," she mentioned after a while, finally spotting a road sign that gave her some direction.

"What?" Casey asked over the music, his jam session pausing as he sat up.

She turned down the volume and repeated her statement. "It's like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. I never really cared for those."

"Yeah, it is pretty crazy… But you know they've been planning this whole invasion thing for years right?"

"What? How do you know?" she asked, glancing at him a couple times out of curiosity. "Wait, wait don't tell me, it's got something to do with your friends right?" She sounded more unimpressed as she asked her second question, almost as though his answer would explain everything.

"Pretty much, but it's not their fault. We just figured it out a little while ago and… it's a pretty long story," he finished, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, we've got a pretty long trip. Why don't you go ahead and share?" she urged, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes.

Casey hesitated for a moment, unsure if the others would want her to know. He was supposed to be thinking about if they could trust her or not, but so far she seemed to be normal—well, as normal as anyone could be anymore. After a significant pause, he turned down the music so that it just became background to his story.

* * *

"If we clear out this space here then I can build a makeshift lab and make some kind of medicine for Leonardo," Don said as he and Mikey stood in front of a wall in the barn. He moved to start moving some wood and other equipment, urging Mikey to help him.

"How are you going to make the medicine?" Mikey asked as he complied.

"I'm sure I can use some of the mutagen that I brought with me, and there must be something in the woods or whatever store Casey and Marisol end up in that I could use… I'm just not sure yet. But as soon as I have a space to work it should come together pretty quickly."

While his brother didn't sound completely confident, Mikey was able to make up for the lack thereof with some of his own. "I know you can do it, D," he said as he flashed his brother a grin.

Though there was no new logic to prove Mikey's statement, Don still felt himself gain a bit more confidence as they continued to clear out the space. Sometimes Mikey's optimism really helped his mood and this just so happened to be one of those times. "Thanks, Mikey."


	5. Chapter 5

Okay so this isn't as great as I was hoping it'd be, but I'm still kind of getting a feel for where I want this to go. Things will hopefully pick up in the next chapter. Thanks for the new follows, and as always please leave a review just so I know what you like or don't like about it! :)

* * *

Casey's story was over just as Mari pulled into the lot of an old general store. "That is quite the story," she started as she stared ahead to the promising double doors. Looking over to him with her hand on the ignition, she continued. "And your friends have a hard time trusting _me_? I'm like, the only other person they've really had contact with aren't I? And I'm clearly no alien."

She turned off the car and unbuckled herself, and Casey followed suit. "I trust you, but they've got more than just aliens to worry about."

"Oh yeah?" she asked before they stepped out of the car. "Well maybe you can tell me about that on the ride back."

He gave her an almost toothless grin and shrugged. "We'll see."

* * *

April's eyes slowly opened as the movie she put in ended and she realized she had fallen asleep for a while. She glanced around the living room to find that she was still alone and sighed. In her slightly disoriented state, she checked her phone for the time and noticed that in the hour that had passed since she last checked, there was no text from Casey.

She decided to send another text to check up on him and then went to check on everyone else.

Raph appeared to be taking a nap himself when she peeked in on them, and though she tried to stay as quiet as she could, he stirred from his sleep and noticed her immediately.

Giving him a sheepish kind of smile, she stepped in and glanced at the still unconscious Leonardo. She approached the bathtub and the unsure silence remained between them all. Unsure of when Leo would awaken, unsure of the exact damage done, and unsure of how they were feeling about things themselves.

"How are you doing?" April decided to ask, turning to look at Raph.

He continued to stare at the floor as he shrugged and his expression said more to her than his words could. She stood there for another moment before her thoughts travelled to what Don and Mikey were occupying themselves with.

"About as good as anyone could be after what happened," Raph eventually responded, clearly having to make himself respond. The reply made her feel more awkward about conversing with him, though she knew he was trying to deal with things in his own way.

The atmosphere was depressing and draining for her, so she chose to leave. Before she left she placed a comforting hand on Raph's shoulder, hoping he knew that he wasn't alone.

As soon as she left the bathroom she realized she was able to breathe easier and felt much less suffocated by the negative energy. Hoping that things would feel a little lighter with Don and Mikey, she headed for the barn.

* * *

"Hope they got what we need," Casey started as he skimmed over the list he was given.

"I'm sure they'll have enough of it," Mari replied as she locked the car then took a peek at the list. "It seems like a fairly big store…"

"I'm just glad the invasion hasn't spread out here yet," Casey commented as they entered the building. The store had many aisles of foods and sections for bathroom and kitchen supplies, among other things.

"We really only need food stuff," Mari started as she gingerly took the list from Casey to see what they needed. "Almost any food in there was old and expired. April's family must've left in a big hurry huh? To just leave that stuff there…"

He shrugged, following her while placing his hands in his pockets. "I guess so. She hasn't told me anything about it, really."

Mari nodded slightly while picking up a few things and placing them in the cart she picked up on her way to the aisle. Casey followed along with his hands in his pockets, glancing around the old store.

"So, what should I expect from the other one that's still in the tub?" she asked him as they started toward the dry and canned food.

Casey followed behind her, curious from her question. "What do you mean?" Something on the shelf caught his eye, and he started picking off cans of spaghetti-os and alphabet soup.

"I mean like… his personality I guess. Like is he more like Don or Mikey?"

"I don't think it's as simple as that. I guess he's pretty cool, but I mean he's their leader for a reason. You just kinda have to meet him to really get it," he tried to explain as he dropped a few cans in the cart.

"Are we going to be able to afford everything on this list?" she asked, worried she'd end up having to pay for it all.

"Yeah don't worry, I've got it covered," he assured her with a sure smile.

She shrugged and pushed the cart along, allowing Casey to lead while he put all the supplies in the cart. After a few moments of silence, she decided to talk to him some more. "So, how do you and April know each other?"

"School. She was helping me with trigonometry and stuff." His answer was a little shorter than she was thinking it would be and decided to press him for a little more.

"So, how'd you meet the turtles?" She was leaning on the cart, watching for his reaction as he shrugged.

"I met Raph first when I was out taking care of some Purple Dragons, and then a few days later I followed him down to their lair. Some ninja, right?" he replied with a slight laugh. After putting some stuff in the cart he looked back up at her. "What's with all these questions anyway? I'm the one that's supposed to be questioning _you_."

"Well then, ask me some questions Casey. You've been nothing but quiet unless I was the one asking you stuff."

"Hey, that's not true! I asked if you were from New York."

A small smile appeared on her face as she pushed the cart along behind him. "Oh yeah, one question. You're right." More foodstuff was tossed into the cart and she watched him curiously. "Well? Question me, make sure I'm _trustworthy_," she mocked.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Casey replied. Mari appeared trustworthy enough, but they had been tricked before. "Alright, what school do you go to? What grade?" He started, checking the list before leading her down another aisle. She sighed a little before trudging along, answering whatever he asked her.

* * *

April entered the barn as Don and Mikey finished clearing the wall. She observed for a moment before stepping in and making her presence known. "What're you guys up to?"

"Oh, hey April," Donnie greeted with a grin. "We were just clearing out this part of the barn so I can set up a kind of makeshift laboratory. I want to try to make something that may help Leo heal faster," he explained. "I'm still not sure how, but that's what the lab's for right?"

She gave him a small smile in return and glanced at Mikey as he approached them. "Well, is there anything I can help with?" she asked, looking back to Don.

"Yeah, that would be great!" he said, nodding before looking back at the empty space.

As they set up his makeshift lab, the looming thoughts of the alien invasion on the city, as well as Leo's condition and the loss of her father seemed to fade into the back of her mind. Though she wish she could talk about it with someone, she was grateful for the distractions.


End file.
